Successful N0Waste project for the sustainability of the agri-food sector
The N0Waste project for the sustainability of the agri-food sector in which Izertis participates has successfully concluded, managing to develop technologies capable of obtaining high-value biomethane from waste generated in the potato supply chain, as well as optimising the sealing of packaging with new plastic solutions.
The N0Waste project has focused on the research and development of new technologies for the reduction and recovery of waste from fresh and perishable products, addressing objectives that respond to two key problems in the food value chain: on the one hand, the minimisation of food waste; on the other hand, the recovery of by-products generated in the processes of production, transformation and distribution of food by obtaining synthetic methane, thus contributing to a circular economy model.
The initiative is part of the RIS3 Euskadi Smart Specialisation Strategy and the Euskadi 2030 Science, Technology and Innovation Plan, which has the support of the SPRI Group through the programme Hazitek. Its development has involved a heterogeneous consortium of Basque companies and organisations from different sectors.
This project has been led by ONDOAN, with the participation of EROSKI and Udapa representing the food chain (with the collaboration of Barrenetxe and Harakai-Urkaiko), and has involved technology and capital goods companies such as Lointek, Orloga, Izertis, SEGULA TECHNOLOGIES, Tecnipesa and Plastigaur; as well as the participation of three agents of the Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Network: BASQUE FOOD CLUSTER, Ceit and Tecnalia and the collaboration of BANTEC for the achievement and management of the project before the Basque Government.
The results of the project were presented at an online conference attended by the heads of all the participating organisations. The project consortium thus presented the various lines of research undertaken in response to the two main objectives of the project: the reduction of waste generated and its energy recovery. All of this, from a global vision of the food chain, based on new photonic and artificial vision technologies for the early detection of bruises and defects in potatoes at the point of origin, and including traceability control, product life cycle analysis and the application of sensors in the transformation and distribution processes.
Another successful line of research was the study of technological alternatives to improve the sealing of packaging, achieving an optimal result that preserves the quality and extends the shelf life of the packaged products. Among the most important findings were the development of new 100% recyclable mono-material plastic films for flexible packaging, designed to meet the thermal specifications required in industrial processes and ensuring the sustainability of the packaging.
Finally, research has been carried out on the valorisation of organic by-products by means of a combination of advanced processes (dark fermentation, biomethanisation) to obtain biogas, from which it has been possible to obtain high-value synthetic natural gas (biomethane) on a laboratory scale using a multi-channel catalytic reactor.
The project has also allowed the creation of a mathematical tool to explore the technical and economic feasibility of this solution in different scenarios with different types of organic by-products and geographical locations. This information can be decisive in the decision-making process on the implementation of biomethanisation plants for the valorisation of waste from the agricultural sector.